Rand McNally Skyscrapers

Jam-packed with meticulous illustrations and intriguing data, the accordion-fold page in each of these superbly produced oversize books extends to over five feet in length. In Airplanes, one side of the fold-out presents a Boeing 747 in cross-section (``The only airplane that is better known by its nickname, `Jumbo Jet'""), along with engrossing sidebars (``How Does It Fly,'' ``Inside the Wings'' and more) and a host of factoids (``Five and a half tons of food are needed on a long-haul international flight''). The reverse side, an aviation time-chart, depicts 37 aircraft, from the Wright brothers' 1903 Flyer 1 to the new Eurofighter 2000, named for the year it is intended to enter service. Skyscraper employs a similar format, depicting a cross-section of Chicago's John Hancock building (``the world's tallest multi-use building... and the seventh tallest skyscraper'') and, on the reverse, a comparative height chart, ``Reaching for the Skies,'' of the world's tallest structures. (Set against these colossi, a drawing of a 46-ft. brachiosaurus looks tiny indeed.) Informative and thrilling--and not just for kids. Ages 7-12. (May)